What benefits does Norwegian citizenship give?
As a Norwegian citizen, you have full rights as a Norwegian. You should be treated in Norway in exactly the same way as someone who was born in Norway. The privileges that Norwegian citizenship gives you:
- Assistance from the Norwegian government at home and abroad
- The right to enter the country in any situation
- The possibility of applying for all loans (e.g. student loans, housing loans) available only to people with permanent residence or citizens
- Access to Norwegian embassies and those cooperating with them worldwide
- The possibility of visa-free travel to countries with which Norway has such an agreement (including the USA)
Who can obtain Norwegian citizenship?
If you are between 18 and 67 years old and have previously registered as an EU resident staying in Norway, you must meet the following conditions:
- pay the official application fee
- have an identity document that allows you to be identified. As a rule, a passport is required.
- you must live in Norway and plan your future here
- you must complete 300 hours of Norwegian culture training at an accredited school or document a good knowledge of Norwegian culture by passing norskprøve or an equivalent exam at a minimum B1 level in all sections (there are a few more options, but in practice it is easiest to pass the exam)
- you must pass an accredited oral language exam at a minimum B1 level (if you also pass the remaining parts, you will also meet the previous condition)
- you must pass the social studies exam (samfunnskapsprøven) or the citizenship exam (statsborgerprøven)
- you must order a politiattest (we will arrange this on your behalf here). It cannot be older than 3 months.
- decide whether you want to give up your current citizenship (Norway has not required this since 1 January 2020)
- you must have lived in Norway for at least 8 years during the last 11 years.
- for the last 3 years you must have lived in Norway with full residence rights (working or being registered as a family member of a person with residence rights)
NOTE: oppholdstillatelse is usually not enough; permanent oppholdstillatelse is required.
What do we need to provide the service?
- Altinn login details
- Confirmation of payment of the official application fee
- Personal details – we will ask by phone
- Confirmation of passing the language exam at B1 level in all parts (recommended route) or alternative documentation
- Confirmation of passing the social studies exam or alternative documentation
- Police certificate (or we will arrange it on your behalf via Altinn)
- Confirmation of residence in Norway for 8 years and registration with the police at least 3 years ago (e.g. through employment contracts, annual tax returns, etc.)
We provide the service both on behalf of the employee and the employer employing the employee.
What does the service include?
The service includes:
- Checking whether the conditions for citizenship are met and informing you of any missing requirements
- Completing the documentation necessary to obtain citizenship
- Arranging the police certificate
- Setting the appointment date and location for identity verification and document submission
- Instructions on what to bring to the appointment and what to do
NOTE: The decision on granting citizenship rests with the Norwegian authorities. The service only covers mediation between you and the authorities.